


Bearing Silent Witness

by Roadsterguy



Category: Robot Series - Isaac Asimov
Genre: Anal Sex, Explicit Sexual Content, Friendship, Gen, Homophobia, M/M, Misogyny, Murder, Murder Mystery, Other, Robot/Human Relationships, Sexual Tension, Unreliable Narrator, Unresolved Emotional Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-30
Updated: 2020-11-30
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:33:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,397
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27806884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Roadsterguy/pseuds/Roadsterguy
Summary: A dead man, a silent witness, a Spacer robot, and an Earth detective.  What will be discovered, once all of the evidence is unveiled?
Relationships: Elijah Baley/R. Daneel Olivaw
Comments: 6
Kudos: 14
Collections: Yuletide 2020





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [vinebridge](https://archiveofourown.org/users/vinebridge/gifts).



> I thought the Yule prompt was terrific, and mixed well with my interest in the 1950s-ish world of Asimov's books, and how to explore that world - particularly the cishet and somewhat misogynistic facets that I saw.

"I'm here to pick someone up," Lije told the facility worker, exhaling from the effort of hurrying down the moving sidewalks to this facility. He wasn't getting any younger, he thought ruefully, struggling to stand fully upright and not pant outright. He had his pride, after all.

"Well, this is the evidence locker," the young man told him, airily, leaning both elbows on the grey plasticrete countertop that separated them. "You want to pick up some _one_ , go to the holding cells."

"This someone," Lije frowned, "is a robot." Jehosephat! Daneel - in the _evidence locker_. Yes, Daneel was technically R Daneel Olivaw, the _R_ for Robot. But he was, in appearance and behavior, virtually identical to a human.

"Ah!" The young man's unlined, pale face split with a thin-lipped smile, his watery blue eyes glittering with interest. "That'd be the Spacer one? The humaniform? Creepy thing, that. We've got the maintenance lock on it. Got a carrier to take it away?"

"No," Lije replied, frustrated rage building up inside of him at hearing Daneel referred to as an _it_ , at the very suggestion he be removed in one of the locked metal robot carrying cases. "You are going to remove the maintenance lock, and we will walk out of here together."

The young man pulled back, standing upright, shaking his head, his sandy short hair falling messily over his eyes. "Can't do that," he said, pushing his hair back. "Rules are rules. Robots involved in crimes have to keep the lock on 'em until trial. Can't contaminate the evidence."

Lije pulled his personal pad out of his pocket, placing it firmly on the counter in front of the worker. He pressed four fingers to the ident-patch, and the screen glowed, displaying the official seal of Wilson Roth, over an order that the worker bent down to read. "Direct from the Commissioner. The robot is to be remanded into my custody, with the lock removed."

Lije folded his arms irately as the worker called back to verify the order. Roth would surely not be pleased to have to repeat it. It had been difficult enough to get it in the first place...

* * *

"Baley!" Roth had said, walking to Lije's cubicle, pressing the privacy-screen button as he sat one meaty buttock on Lije's desk. A small force field had sprung into being, distorting light and sound to all outside of the cubicle, allowing them to converse without the busy office hearing the discussion. "Got a tricky one for you."

"I'd expect no less." Baley stuck the pipe back in his mouth. The new strain of genetically engineered tobacco was gentler on his lungs while giving little away in terms of the pleasant warmth and taste. It might decrease his life expectancy slightly, but what worth was a longer life that was less enjoyable? He would never have a Spacer lifespan. Not like... "Tell me what the case is."

"Murder, perhaps," Roth replied, grimly. "A death, certainly. The head of the Sane Tech party. You know of 'em?"

"I do." Lije nodded. "Formed two years ago, but has amassed a very large following." Not, he had to admit ruefully, that he couldn't understand why. "Positioned as the reasonable alternative to the New Luddites. Very anti-robot, but pro-tech of all other kinds. Therefore, anti-Spacer, but they claim to be reasonable about trade deals and such. I've seen Damien Gael, the party spokesman - he makes a good speech." A little too polished for Lije to feel altogether comfortable about him. The man was unthreateningly handsome, perfectly groomed, wore expensive suits, had a smile that flashed bright but never seemed sincere. That seemed to be a minority opinion, however. His speeches drew acclaim even from opponents.

"Well, he's not going to make any more of those good speeches," Roth replied. "He's dead."

"Jehosephat!" Lije sat up, sharply. "How?"

"Blunt trauma to the head. He left his wife at approximately 8pm last night, claiming to want to look over a venue where he was supposed to give a speech this weekend. He took his infant daughter with him, as it's his wife's night to play cards with her friends. At 10pm, he had not returned home, so she went to the venue, and found him dead, his head smashed in. A steel bar was nearby, bloody - appears to be the murder weapon. The daughter was on the ground nearby, upset but unhurt."

"Well." Lije frowned. "Have you tested the bar for fingerprints?"

"Yes, and found none."

"Any witnesses?"

"One." Roth nodded. "But a witness that's of no use to us."

Lije sucked thoughtfully on the stem of his pipe. "How so?"

"It's a robot. And whether because it was involved with the death, or merely witnessed it - it's useless. Totally frozen."


	2. Chapter 2

Lije watched closely as the young man put a tool to the fine black net draped over Daneel's head. Not that Lije could have told if the worker was doing this correctly or not; he was no roboticist. Daneel certainly looked intact to Lije's inexpert eyes, his bronze hair short and brushed back, his handsome, high-cheekboned face smooth and impassive. His dark green eyes came back to life as the worker pulled the net off, and they turned on Lije. "Partner Elijah," Daneel said in his smooth, even voice.

Lije grasped his arm, feeling the soft Spacer fabric move over what felt like a warm, human arm. "Daneel! Are you all right?"

"I am, indeed, Partner Elijah. I presume I was fitted with a maintenance interrupt?"

"We call 'em locks, here. You got this one, Plainclothesman?" the worker asked, looking over Daneel as if he were an expensive watch.

"Yes. Yes, I do." Lije had an urgent desire to leave the warehouse, and the interested stares of the workers. While men would not gossip in the Personals, stories might be told in the pubs in the evenings. Lije kept his grasp on Daneel's arm, drawing him out of the storage room, then out of the warehouse entirely.

Lije breathed a little more easily once they were 'outside' - not _outside_ as Daneel would surely understand the term, but as an Earthman would. They were still surrounded by steel, still many meters of solid earth between themselves and the true _Outside_ \- the massive sky, the painful sun. Lije had been born in these caves of steel, and had been raised in them, knowing the Outside only as a place without control, harsh and unkind, best to be avoided. His son, however, had started a group that dared to brave the Outside, to become acclimated to it, able to spread to other planets - true Earth explorers. Lije was too old to join, but he sometimes accompanied Bentley for brief outings...

Lije drew Daneel into a cafe, finding a quiet table in a corner. They both sat, facing each other, Lije tuning out the chatter from the other patrons - young men talking shop, young women talking family, and here and there, a couple finding an intimate moment in the middle of a busy workday. "Daneel! I didn't realize you were here on Earth!"

"Indeed, you did not. I had thought you might enjoy my presence as a surprise; Doctor Fastolfe sent me here to observe the current political situation, and discuss it with you. However, as soon as I landed, I was ordered out of the line for immigration query, and into a screening room. I must have been fitted with the maintenance interrupt at that point, because I remember nothing from then until seeing you in the storage room."

"Did it hurt? Are you... all right?" What a strange notion, a robot being hurt. Yet Daneel's positronic pathways did seem to have reactions that were analogous to human feelings, in some ways? Lije was no roboticist, to understand how these things worked. All he knew was how Daneel responded, which was very like a human indeed.

"I am well, Partner Elijah. I was able to synchronize with the local time broadcast, from which I can see I was inactive for only three hours and forty six minutes. The lock pauses positronic impulses, but once removed, they resume normally. As I have mentioned previously," Daneel's stare was even, yet oddly soft, almost kind, "they do seem to flow more smoothly in your presence, Partner Elijah."

Lije squeezed Daneel's hand briefly. Warm and firm, just like a human hand. "It's good to see you, as well."

"Partner Elijah, could you explain why I was pulled aside? I have heard that the current political situation here was negative towards robots, but I did not think it was to this extent? Otherwise, I would have altered my appearance. The dramatic re-eneactments of our previous work together has made my identity as a robot more widely known here."

Lije winced. Oh, that holo would be the death of him. "It's not quite that bad here. But in some ways, it's worse. Daneel, there's been a murder. A death of a human."

Just the slightest pause in Daneel's response signaled the distress to his positronic pathways on hearing of the death of a human. Even if he was completely uninvolved, First Law meant that harm to a human would never be a concept to take lightly. "Why am I a suspect?"

Lije sat back, stroking his chin. "Well, not a suspect, exactly. You see, since they know you're a robot, you're not considered capable of acting of your own free will, like a human." Yet Daneel _did_ have free will. He acted independently. In so many ways, indistinguishable from a human? "A robot can never be considered a _suspect_ , on Earth. Only a tool, a weapon."

Daneel nodded, thoughtfully. "The concept is similar on Spacer worlds, Partner Elijah. Yet I am not certain that I would be treated as a standard robot, on Aurora. Fortunately, the issue has never come up there."

"Exactly. So you've not technically been remanded to me as a suspect - you've been released to me as a potential murder weapon." What a concept. Yes, it had happened, when Gladia had used a robot's arm to murder her husband - and oh, what a morass of complicated emotions _that_ memory pulled out. Lije put them aside. They would be of no help to him, now. What mattered was the details of that case - which seemed completely unrelated to this one.

"Partner Elijah - I was pulled aside as soon as I landed! How could I possibly be involved in a murder on Earth?"

"Well." Lije leaned forward, his elbows on the table. "People aren't feeling terribly rational, these days. The head of an anti-robot, anti-Spacer political party is killed, just as the most advanced Spacer robot in existence is landing on Earth. They're coming up with all sorts of wild theories. Your ability to interface remotely - as you did with the time broadcast - is that widely known?" Jehosephat, even Lije hadn't known about it!

"It is not. It is very limited to local area networks - I cannot, for example, access Earth networks until I am in close physical proximity."

"Well, let's keep that knowledge to ourselves, for now." Lije took out his pipe and stuck it in his mouth. "Regardless, I was notified about your presence and your potential involvement in the murder, as I have been assigned to the case. I managed to secure your release to aid my investigation. Ready for the crime scene?"


	3. Chapter 3

Daneel stood on the stage, graceful and confident, taller than most of the Earthmen around him - police officers, all, investigating the scene even after the body had been cleared away. "The physics would make it fairly easy for a human of even moderate strength to cause catastrophic damage to a skull, given sufficient speed from a swing," Daneel noted, holding the rod of metal in his hands. "One meter long, approximately fifteen kilograms in weight."

"You're not bothered by the idea?" Lije stepped close.

"Now that I know to expect it, Partner Elijah, I can partition the analysis of the case from my First Law. It has already happened; there is no conceivable action I could take to mitigate it."

Lije looked at the rod in Daneel's hands. Cleansed of gore, its smooth surface belied the dark purpose for which it had been used. "That does not narrow down the suspect list. I suppose we can eliminate the baby," he joked.

"As long as the infant was not secretly a robot." Daneel smiled slightly. His capacity for humor seemed to be growing, Lije noted? Was Daneel, too, like a child in some ways, growing and learning? He was far beyond what he had been when he and Lije had first met. Or was it merely that Lije had been unable to see all that Daneel was, considering him merely a _robot_?

"We do have an _un_ secret robot," Lije noted, pointing to a marking on the stage that indicated where the robot had stood. "A simple model, J-227. Janitorial. It was scheduled to clean the area nightly, activated at 8pm and de-activated at midnight. If an event was planned, a programmer remotely adjusted it to begin at 4am instead."

"And the robot was frozen when Mr Gael's wife arrived on the scene. May I advance a hypothesis, Partner Elijah?" Daneel asked, casting an interested glance on Lije.

"Go on. I wonder if it sounds like mine?" Lije replied.

"If an unknown assailant had attempted harm to Mr Gael," Daneel mused, his face still smoothly impassive, "the robot would have felt a protective First Law imperative. If the robot had been forced to do even moderate harm to the assailant to protect the infant, the resulting conflict would have caused it extensive positronic distress, given how basic a model it was. That alone might have been enough to render it inoperative, allowing the assailant to murder Mr Gael."

"That does sound a great deal like mine." Lije nodded. "What I don't understand is why the robot protected the infant. Damien Gael was a male citizen in good standing. The robot would have prioritized protecting him over the baby. Perhaps the assailant was not expecting Damien to have his child with him, and had intended just to murder Damien?"

"That is not the order of priority for Spacer robots." Daneel looked at Lije with interest. "In matters of conflicting harm to humans, do Earth robots not prioritize the young, as having more potential years of life than adults?"

"Is that how Spacers do it?" Lije shook his head, bemused. "That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. Male citizens in good standing have demonstrated their worth to society. Infants have not - too much is unknown, and they might grow up to have a negative impact on society, after all. The robot would have prioritized Damien G..."

"What is this nonsense?" The irate voice rang through the area, louder than the buzz of ongoing conversations, which quieted as the owner of the voice came into view. Lije looked up to see a small man striding resolutely across the stage towards them. His skin was darker even than Daneel's, his face dramatic in its sharp lines. His dark hair was close-cropped, his suit well-fitted to his lean frame.

"Who is this?" Lije asked the nearest officer.

"My name is Silvian Garroue, and you should know me, Plainclothesman," the man said, before the officer could speak. "I am Mr Gael's assistant. I cannot even pause to mourn his death, however - I have to keep watch over his death investigation, as I have just discovered it is being conducted by a well-known Spacer sympathizer! And the robot who is suspected of participating in the murder!"

Lije reined in a surge of anger as he turned to fully face the man. "How can a robot conduct an investigation, Mr Garroue? As your group is all to eager to note, robots are nothing but tools."

"Dangerous tools," the small man replied, crossing his arms, unfazed. "Starships without pilots, primed shock-pistols bouncing down the fast lane of a pedwalk. And yet you are letting one walk around unsupervised by a professional. This is exactly the sort of thing Sane Tech is rightfully opposing! Mr Gael was to give a speech on this very topic this weekend. And now he is dead, just as the most advanced robot the Spacers have ever made is yet again polluting our city. Convenient, isn't it, Plainclothesman?"

"I'm not certain exactly how _convenient_ it is. And where were _you_ on the evening of Mr Gael's death?" Lije asked.

"I have an alibi for the time of his death, Plainclothesman. Yes, I was supposed to meet Damien here, as I always accompany him on his walk-throughs, but I was held up by work at our headquarters. Plenty of our co-workers will attest to that. His widow called me when she discovered the body, and I went as soon as I was able." Garroue shook his finger sternly at Lije. "I resent the implication of your question, Plainclothesman, as much as I resent your presence on this case. I will be speaking to the Mayor about it. Try not to desecrate a good man's memory too greatly." The man spun around and strode off, purposefully.


	4. Chapter 4

"The case is very puzzling, Partner Elijah." Daneel stood with his hands clasped behind his back, a little human mannerism that Lije had not seen him adopt before. It gave Daneel an air of calm interest, which suited him.

"It is indeed," Lije agreed, punching up an order for coffee on the office dispenser. "Politicians usually have no shortage of enemies. But Damien was fairly new to the scene. His life before staring Sane Tech had been quiet and unremarkable; he was a competent worker, well-liked, a good stable marriage. Sane Tech did take a large following away from the New Luddites; I wonder if that was enough to motivate someone in their management to take action..."

"Murder seems an extreme and, potentially, counterproductive action?" Daneel mused. "Historically, political figures who have been murdered have benefitted in popular view from the martyrdom."

"That's a fair point." Lije moved to the cupboard and added powdered milk and sugar to his coffee, stirring it, inhaling the scent. Fiona moved to the dispenser once it was free, fumbling with the controls as her eyes kept flickering over to Daneel. Well, she was young, new here, and visibly taken with the robot. Could Lije really blame her? Daneel was handsome, yes, but also intelligent, kind, and would always put a partner's well-being above his own. Was it any wonder that Gladia had been so attracted to Jander? Lije found himself bothered by the idea. A partner who was utterly selfless? A healthy relationship required some degree of give and take, did it not?

"Hi," Fiona squeaked, managing to order hot tea, pulling it out of the machine once it was dispensed. "I'm a new Plainclothesman, I've heard so much about you, I'm... I'm very pleased to meet you..."

"Pleased to meet you as well," Daneel replied, kindly, holding out his hand.

"Oh!" Fiona unthinkingly thrust out the hand that was already holding the cup of tea. She lost her grip on it, fumbling, scalding hot liquid splashing out... and before Lije could do more than note the danger, Daneel had acted. He caught the cup and righted it with one hand, holding his other forearm over her hand and arm, protecting her from the splash. Instant, selfless protection, Lije noted, with resignation. First Law.

"Are you hurt, Plainclothesman?" Daneel asked, searchingly.

"No, not at all, you did... that was amazing!" Fiona looked up at Daneel, eyes big and impressed. "Thank you!"

"It was my pleasure," Daneel replied.

His pleasure, or his imperative? Perhaps they both went hand-in-hand. Were a robot's positronic pathways set up to give a subjective experience of pleasure when they exercised the imperatives of the Three Laws? Would it ever be possible to know for sure? Was it different for Daneel's sophisticated, almost human brain? The simplest of robots had an identical imperative, after all...

Something tickled the back of Lije's mind as he sipped his coffee, watching the two speak - flesh and plastic, synapses and positrons. It wasn't a fully formed thought yet, however. "Daneel," he said, finally. "Come with me. I need to speak with someone."

* * *

"Again?" Jarrell frowned. "Barely changed much at all, there. Doubt the simulation will be any different." The department's resident roboticist was one of the best on Earth, and he knew it. He dressed for his own comfort, in loose slacks and a battered-soft old shirt, open at the neck. His desk was untidy, cluttered with half-finished projects and bits of robotic evidence. His reports, from what Lije heard, were similarly disorganized. Yet the man knew as much as any Earthman about robots - and Lije knew better than to mention Spacers to him.

"I need to be _very_ sure. Let's run it." Lije gestured, and with a few keystrokes, Jarrell started another simulation.

"I confess that I do not understand the intent of this exercise, Partner Elijah," Daneel noted.

"'Specially not with a J-triple series," Jarrell chimed in. "About as simple as they get. Can't even talk, can only perform menial tasks. They have the most basic understanding of the Laws. You're not going to get unexpected behavior with 'em. Not like this one." He looked Daneel up and down with interest.

"Am I capable of the unexpected, Engineer Daniels?" Daneel asked, politely.

"So to speak. I've been trying for years to figure out how you tick. It starts with the laws, yeah, but you take independent action. That's what I can't figure out. I've been tweaking and rebuilding my algorithm for years, and I just haven't found one that actually predicts your actions!" Jarrell turned to Lije. "It's like he has a _personality_."

"As unpredictable as a human? I'm not sure if you've been complimented or insulted, Daneel," Lije teased. A personality. Yes, of course Daneel had one! He was, even if synthetic, a _person_. Lije had not stopped to think about the implications of this, however. Where did it come from? How did it develop?

"Come now, Partner Elijah. You must know that any comparison to a human is the greatest of compliments."

"Depends on the human. There you go!" Jarrell waved at the screen. "See, same as before. The _why_ doesn't matter. J-triples aren't capable of figuring that out. It's all about the hierarchy, for them. It's all either-or."

"Thank you, Jarrell." Lije nodded. It was all starting to fall into place, the picture revealing itself from the various pieces. "Could you send these results to my personal pad? Also - see this list of venues." Lije tapped out the transfer from his pad to Jarrell's terminal. "I need the hierarchy for Damien from the janitorial robots assigned to each one."

"Give me an hour or two," Jarrell replied, "and I'll get it to you."

"Thank you," Lije replied. He still did not have the full picture, but he understood how the next pieces fit in, and once he saw what they looked like... 


	5. Chapter 5

"I was told to come down here immediately." Garroue strode across the stage to where Lije, Daneel, and Roth stood, waiting for him. He looked like he had not slept the night before; his eyes had dark circles underneath them, and stubble peppered his sharp jaw. "I have had a very long night dealing with the aftermath of Damien Gael's death, and have not yet had a chance to deal with my own grief. Why am I at the beck and call of this Spacer lackey?" he asked Roth, irately.

"This _Spacer lackey_ is my best officer," Roth replied, icily. "The mayor told me that you tried to pull rank with him. You're not Damiel Gael, and you're not some sort of heir apparent to him, so spare me his political tricks. They won't work."

Garroue spun to face Lije, looking up at him without appearing to look up - a trick he must have spent some time mastering. "So you have solved this case in one night, Plainclothesman? How impressive. And you did it without interviewing a single one of his friends or associates. If this is your best, Commissioner, what procedure does your worst follow? A random number generator?"

"When a case is simple, a simple explanation is all that's required." Lije felt calm, sure, grounded. This was his wheelhouse. This was what he did, and he felt at ease doing it. Nothing was entirely certain, but the explanation made too much sense. On a basic level, it felt right, it felt true. It felt _human_. On top of that, Lije felt a cool, righteous anger at what this man had done. And that was what energized him, gave him life. "No secret plot was required. No machinations, no ill will. Only a slipshod repair a week before when one of the lights went out." Lije pointed up at the light rigging above them, where - if one looked carefully - a gap was visible where a steel bar should be.

"Oh, come now, Plainclothesman Baley," Garroue scoffed. "A single bar falling from such a height, and a robot nearby to intervene? Nobody is harmed in this scenario. You're trying to sweep a murder under the rug. Nobody will buy such a naïve explanation!"

"That was exactly my problem," Lije agreed, adrenaline doing a slow, warming burn inside of him. "Why did the robot not save Damien Gael? Well, the forensics determined that he was almost on the ground already when the fatal blow was struck." Lije eased himself to the ground in demonstration, mindful of his aging knees, settling on his belly. "He had his infant daughter with him; it is no surprise that he might be low to the ground while he played with her." He flicked his finger at an invisible infant, remembering the times he had done this with Bentley, before the boy grew into the strong man he was now.

"Yes, he was a devoted, caring father." Had Garroue's eyes misted over? "Next you'll be telling me that he was a humanitarian, concerned with improving people's lives. Ah, you have finally detected some truth, Plainclothesman."

"I will leave the accolades to you. All I will note is, in this position, a falling beam threatened both Gael and his daughter equally." Lije eased himself to his feet. "A robot this simple does not have the reflexes to catch a falling bar. It would have had to choose to pull either Gael or his daughter out of danger. It should have been Gael - but it was not. This robot did not evaluate Gael as a citizen in good standing. Instead, it saved his daughter - and in failing to save him, was irreparably damaged."

"Commissioner! Will you let him baselessly slander the reputation of a good man?" Garroue asked Roth. Was there some desperation in his voice?

"I will let him complete his investigation," Roth replied, with interest.

"I had our resident robiticist pull the current maps from a number of janitorial robots. The ones who clean his house, the ones who clean his office, the ones who clean venues where you did not do the walkthrough with him - they all had the hierarchy I would expect, with Damien Gael at the top. The janitorial robots who service the venues where you were with him for the walk-throughs, however, were different. These all had demoted Damien in their hierarchy, down below the level of even an unproven, female infant."

Garroue had recovered slightly. "Lie all you want, Plainclothesman. I can see that you're trying to insinuate something untoward. You have no proof of any of it, and we all know it. I will have your head..."

"A man who hates robots makes no effort to understand them," Lije interrupted. "The janitorial robots are mute, basic machines. You never even thought of them, you had no discretion around them. Never thought that although they have no voices, they have eyes, and that the eyes are connected to recording equipment for security purposes..."

Garroue's dark face went livid, the blood draining from it, and he swayed, his eyes going wide.

Lije stepped close. "We do want something in common, Silvian Garroue. We both want this ended as cleanly and quickly as possible. Neither of us want lurid footage of two men's perversions playing on every vidscreen for the next several weeks. Confess, Garroue. It was _your_ actions that caused this outcome. If you two had not engaged in these activities, Damien would still be alive."

Garroue sagged, almost crumpling to the ground before catching himself. "I will. To maintain the honor of a good man, I will."

"Come with me to the station," Roth replied, striding forward. "I want to take this confession myself. We will find a way to handle the press, but I do not want what we have talked about to go outside of this room."

"Partner Elijah," Daneel stepped forward, frowning slightly as Roth practically carried Garroue out of the door, his hand clamped around the smaller man's upper arm. "The J-xxx series robots," he continued, too quietly for the other men to hear as they exited, "do not have recording capabilities."

"No," Lije agreed. "I was betting on him, as I mentioned, knowing very little about the robots he so despises."


	6. Chapter 6

Daneel paused at the door to Lije's apartment. "Are you certain, Partner Elijah? I know that your wife is not comfortable around robots..."

Selfless, utterly so, Lije mused. First Law. "She's visiting her sister this weekend. I'd welcome your company, if you're willing," he replied.

"Indeed. I would be pleased to spend the evening with you." Daneel stepped inside, closing the door behind him, as Lije walked to the small kitchen, pulling a glass down from the cabinet and pouring himself a cognac. "Partner Elijah, your caloric intake has been insufficient over the last two days. If you continue, you risk catabolism, even autophagy, which bear substantial negative health consequences."

"It's hard for me to eat on a case." Lije walked out to the sitting room and settled into his favorite chair with a pleased sigh. His stomach was sensitive to stress and adrenaline. "I just want to relax, tonight. I'll be back in a normal mode tomorrow."

"As you prefer." Daneel clearly saw that there was no immediate danger, as he settled calmly in a chair across from Lije. "Partner Elijah, I have a question about this case."

"Just one?" Lije chuckled, then took a sip of his drink, letting it swirl pleasingly in his mouth before swallowing, the warm burn sliding down his throat, settling his tense stomach. "Garroue will probably be able to plea down to General Immorality, and get away with probation. However, _that_ plea, in _this_ case - well. There will be rumors, and they honestly will likely not be far from the truth. It will surely decrease the political power of Sane Tech, especially as they've lost their charismatic front man. I think our relations with the Spacer governments will be preserved - for now." Delicate trade deals, easily shattered - to the detriment of both parties.

"It is an interesting case to consider," Daneel replied, thoughtfully. "I have much to learn, I am realizing. Spacers neither look down upon nor criminalize homosexual acts."

Lije winced. "Don't call them that, Daneel. _Perversion_ , or _immorality_ , depending on the specific act. That... word - we don't use it."

"Ah, thank you, Partner Elijah - I might have inadvertently been culturally inappropriate. And this is true for men with men, and for women with women?"

"What?" Lije sat up slightly, staring at Daneel. "No, of course not! Women with women - that's merely friendship, the way women are close. It's common, they use it to relieve stress." If one believed women's gossip, the act was more pleasurable with each other, but if one believed women's gossip, one would have a strange worldview indeed.

"Like talking in the Personal," Daneel replied, as if struggling to understand. "Acceptable for women, but not for men."

"Yes, yes, just like that. Women and men are different." Did Daneel not know that? Did all Spacers have such a strange, backwards understanding of the human condition?

"Ah, I see." Daneel nodded, and Lije settled back, taking another long, slow swallow of his drink. Between the excitement, the sparse food, and the limited sleep the night before, the alcohol was going to his head very quickly. "Partner Elijah," Daneel continued, "I have another question for you."

"Go on." Lije took another swallow, settling back into the comfortable chair.

"This case seemed to have a strong personal resonance with you," Daneel replied, his voice soft and comforting. "Am I correct in my evaluation?"

"Come on, what are you, a psychologist?" Lije snorted, draining his glass, hauling himself upright and walking to the kitchen.

"Yes, Partner Elijah. My training is in human psychology."

Lije walked back to the chair with his glass refilled, settling in as he let that statement roll around in his mind. Well... yes, why would he assume Daneel was trained as a police officer? Daneel was a very smart... being, if not a man, and why would he not have had training in a profession? "So you're a shrink."

"I believe that is a colloquial term for a practicing clinical psychologist? I am not that. I have merely had training in the myriad ways in which humans think and act, as I have had a great interest in this since I was able to understand the concept of an _interest_."

"And Jander did not?" Daneel's twin. Surely they shared a brain.

"Correct, Partner Elijah, he did not. Jander's interest was in music."

They were... different. Lije mulled the concept. Individuals. Not interchangeable. Of course not - they had personalities. Daneel was Lije's _partner_. The alcohol was going to Lije's brain, making his thoughts spin, wander, make interesting and unexpected connections. "Jeremey," he said, stupidly.

"I beg your pardon?"

"His name was Jeremy." Lije took a larger swallow of his drink. Some sort of dam had broken, fissures formed by lack of sleep and by alcohol. "His birthday was before the end of the term, mine after it. So he was always a year older than I, when classes ended. He had reached his majority by the end of our last term, I had not. But we were of the same age by any real measure. We went to race on the pedways, and we went farther than usual..." Far outside of the bounds of the city, farther than they were allowed. To the space-docks, running around the warehouses and hangers, giddy with the freedom of being done with _school_ \- not just for the year, but overall! _Lije_ , Jeremey had said, panting from the hours of running and climbing and exploring, _lemme show you something. Learned it from a space-hauler I sold a pad to_. It had all happened so fast, yet seemed to take hours - their clothes coming off, looking with adolescent curiosity at each others' bodies, touching, but Jeremey knew something Lije didn't - saliva, and fingers, then _himself_ , and it felt so good that Lije couldn't help howling his pleasure...

"And you were discovered," Daneel ventured, softly.

Lije nodded. "He was of majority, so he was punished as an adult. He was sent to Delta Sector; as far as I know, he's still there, excavating new caves. It's not technically punishment. It's rehabilitation, and it's for life; hard labor keeps the urges at bay. I was underage - again, _technically_. I was put on probation." And he learned. He learned of the dangers of this activity, he learned to take true pleasure in procreative activities with Jezabel. He had stopped feeling that way. _Stopped_. Only... he hadn't. _He_ was the one who deserved rehabilitation.

"Elijah," Daneel said, leaning forward, his dark green eyes as intense as any human's. "You did nothing wrong."

"You know nothing," Lije said, tightly. Spacer morality, whatever that was. But Daneel was a robot. He had to follow First Law, he knew the harm this would cause to Lije to be known to anyone else. "Do perversion with me." It had been fine when he hadn't let himself think of it, but now that he had - he desired it. So greatly, so greatly he could hardly breathe. 

Was it all Second Law? Or was Lije's desire so obvious that First played a role, as well? All that mattered was that Daneel gathered Lije in his arms, picking him up with great care, bearing him to the bed, laying him down, pulling off his shoes, his clothing, his undergarments. How did Daneel know how to do all of this? Was it part of his training in psychology? Was it general knowledge, as Jander had known how to please Gladia? Regardless, Daneel put his fingers to Lije's mouth to wet them, then to that spot between his legs, gently - so gently - working him open, putting the palm of his other hand to Lije's mouth, stroking himself (yes, his member functioned, as Jander's had?) to wet himself, gently rocking against Lije until he slid inside - and there was a sting of pain, but then nothing but overwhelming pleasure, so deep and strong that Lije could not help clasping Daneel tightly to himself, howling, vaguely grateful for the soundproof walls of the living spaces. And yes, his heart swelled, and he felt such deep, deep love for Daneel, as if perversion had shattered a dam he had been holding these feelings behind...

Daneel eased himself out of Lije's body once the last, lingering, shuddering moments of orgasm had passed. "Was that pleasurable, Partner Elijah?" Daneel asked, settling behind Lije, folding him carefully into his arms.

"Yes, Daneel," Lije murmured. No. He was not rehabilitated. He _wanted_ this. He desired it - the fierce pleasure of sex, the warm comfort of this post-coital embrace. "It was very pleasurable. I don't think I've ever felt like this before." He clasped the robot's hands, closing his eyes. Was this wrong? If it _wasn't_ wrong, what else was called into question? The superiority of the male sex? The primacy of reproduction for females? The frivolity of gossip? That very binary of _men_ and _women_? This way lay madness...

And a deep, satisfying sleep.


End file.
